Chechens face intimidation and torture, says UN
By Andrew Osborn in Moscow
Published: 25 February 2006

http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article347562.ece

Chechnya is living in a climate of fear, devoid of the
rule of law, where civilians disappear without trace
and police torture is widespread, Louise Arbour, the
United Nations' High Commissioner for Human Rights,
said yesterday.

Speaking after a visit to the region, Ms Arbour said
she had "serious concerns" about the integrity of
basic law enforcement institutions and warned there
appeared to be no checks and balances on those in
power.

Her view of life in Chechnya contradicted that of
President Vladimir Putin, who regularly claims the
republic is getting back to normal after more than a
decade of separatist war.

Ms Arbour dismissed the assessment, saying allegations
of police torture, intimidation, and disappearances
were "credible" and serious changes were needed. "It
is not credible to assume that people in Chechnya walk
away from their homes without trace more than anywhere
else in the world," she said.

"Chechnya has not been able to move from being a
society that is ruled by force to one that is ruled by
law." She added that police regularly use torture to
extract confessions and anyone who complains about
official wrongdoing is intimidated.

"When people complain about the brutality of the
police they should not be intimidated but protected."

Ms Arbour suggested courts should force the police to
video witness confessions to guard against brutality
and disclosed that the UN would be appointing an
official in Moscow to work on such projects.

Ms Arbour's bleak assessment of Chechnya is likely to
displease Mr Putin. The President warned her not to
politicise the issue of human rights but said his
country was willing to work with human rights groups
and did apparently concede there was a problem.
Chechen human rights groups claim up to 5,000 people
have "disappeared" since 1999 when Russian troops
entered the republic.
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To learn more about Chechnya genocide see:
http://www.islamawareness.net/Persecution/Chechnya/